Arab Views of Defeat in the 1948, 1956, and 1967 Arab-Israeli Wars

Sažetak Bliski istok je zbog političkih turbulencija i učestalih nemira oduvijek slovio za najkonfliktniju regiju u svijetu. Arapsko-izraelski rat koji traje više od sedam desetljeća pridonio je da se takvo mišljenje uvriježi. Tri su rata tijekom dvadesetog stoljeća odigrala važnu ulogu u oblikovanju regije kakvu danas poznajemo, a to su: Prvi arapsko-izraelski rat iz 1948., Sueska kriza iz 1956. te Šestodnevni rat iz 1967. Poraz iz 1967. bio je presedan u arapskoj političkoj i vjerskoj misli jer je njime započeo proces samopropitivanja i samokritičnosti u potrazi za novim identitetima. Zapadne vrijednosti i ideologije odbačene su kao grešne, pa je tako sekularizam zamijenjen nacionalizmom s religijskim predznakom. Panarapski identitet kojeg je pokušao stvoriti Naser nestao je krajem šezdesetih, a na njegovu su mjesto došli islamizam i fundamentalizam. U svrhu pojašnjenja promjena do kojih je došlo na društvenom i političkom planu arapskih društava nakon navedenih ratova, u radu su analizirani brojni sekundarni, ali i primarni izvori kako bi se ranoislamski koncepti povezali sa suvremenim političkim procesima. Religija i politika neodvojive su na Bliskom istoku, a njihova neraskidiva i nerijetko pogubna veza prepreka je regionalnom miru i rješenju palestinskog pitanja.Abstract Due to political turbulence and frequent riots, the Middle East has always been known as the most conflicted region in the world. The Arab-Israeli conflict, which has been going on for more than seven decades, has contributed to the establishment of such an opinion. Three wars during the twentieth century played an important role in shaping the region as we know it today, namely: the First Arab-Israeli War of 1948, the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the Six-Day War of 1967. The defeat of 1967 was a precedent in Arab political and religious thought because it started the process of self-questioning and self-criticism in the search for new identities. Western values and ideologies were rejected as sinful, and secularism was replaced by nationalism with a religious connotation. The pan-Arab identity that Nasser tried to create disappeared at the end of the sixties, and Islamism and fundamentalism took its place. In order to clarify the changes that occurred on the social and political level of Arab societies after the mentioned wars, the paper analyzed numerous secondary and primary sources in order to connect early Islamic concepts with contemporary political processes. Religion and politics are inseparable in the Middle East, and their unbreakable and often fatal connection is an obstacle to regional peace and a solution to the Palestinian issue